The Sprout
Crunch time for Westway House
The newsletter for North Hinksey & Botley
Issue 131 October 2018
The Sprout
Issue 131, October 2018
Contents
3 Letter to the Editor
5 Summer with Bridges
7 Apples
9 Literary Botley (part 3)
11 Randoms
13 District Council update
17 Brownies in the Greenwood
19 Osney/Hinksey resist OFAS
23 Eleanor Bolton
27 Crumbs of Comfort (2)
29 Meet… Debby Hallett
33 Ss Peter & Paul is 60!
35 Planning Apps
37 University of the 3rd Age
40 Police Update
41 Expressway – No Way!
43 Local Organizations
From the Editor
Lots of looking backwards and forwards this month. No updates on the
shopping centre – the remaining shops are all in place for the moment,
Branches café is up and running (and needs our support) and the
devastation is being recorded by numerous cameras. Many thanks to John
Gaisford for our memorable cover image. There’s a review of Summer
outings with Botley Bridges (p.5) and celebrations are in train for the
Diamond anniversary of Ss Peter & Paul Church (p.33). There’s a tribute to
Eleanor Bolton, ‘the Botley Bag Lady’ whose funeral was on 4th September
(p.23). A couple of campaigns are on the starting blocks – an Osney/North
Hinksey alliance to postpone the huge works of the Flood Alleviation
Scheme until we know whether the measures put in place in recent years
actually do the job (p.19), and a focussed opposition to the proposed
Oxford–Cambridge Expressway (p.41). If this goes ahead on ‘Route B’ (the
northern one), the effects round here will be dire, so we can’t stay quiet.
Luckily we have a history of effective protest to build on. There’s a chance
to learn more about our District Council, with a report from Cllr Emily Smith
(p.13) and an interview with Cllr Debby Hallett (p.29). And on the side of
culture, Martin Harris’s exploration of Literary Botley is making its way up
Yarnells Hill in its third phase (p.9). Happy reading!
Ag MacKeith
Letters to the Editor
Branching out
I volunteer for Branches Café at Elms Court. It is above the library on the
1st floor with a great view of all the demolition happening around us. I
have learnt new skills to work in a community café environment. The
coffee machine needs a lot of concentration – respect is due to baristas
who manage to remember all the drink variations and not scald
themselves!
Branches Café is not just open for young people. It is serving all the
community and is run by a very small team who would appreciate your
custom. Come and try the coffee and delicious cake. We are open to
everyone from Monday to Thursday 8am–3pm, plus take-away coffee
3pm–5pm; On Fridays we are open to all from 8am to 5pm, and again on
Saturday mornings 9am-12pm, serving Breakfast and Lunch, Pastries
and Homemade Cakes. www.branchesyouth.uk
Catherine Casley
Summer holidays with Botley Bridges
Throughout the 2018 summer
holidays, Botley Bridges have
been out and about in different
parks again. A total of 111
families (of which there were 207
children) attended sessions
during the 6-week holiday period,
and it was fantastic to see so
many of you. We had 37 families
join us for the very first time and
we hope that you will be back to
see us in the future.
We visited parks in West Oxford,
Dean Court, Botley and Cumnor.
We were lucky enough at Cumnor
Park to be accompanied by
Oxford Museum services who
brought us lots of fossils to look at
along with various dinosaur-
related arts and crafts activities. There were large dinosaurs and a
volcano for the children to play with, as well as salt-dough fossils and
dinosaur rubbing. The maze was perfect for a dinosaur hunt where the
children looked for hidden dinosaurs and marked them off their checklists.
At Cumnor Hurst the children and families enjoyed a fire pit, and we made
stick bread, sun-catchers, nature crowns and clay pots. Many stones
have been decorated over the course of the summer, too, and some are
still waiting to be found. Perhaps you may find a hidden one somewhere?
As well as the park sessions, we also
held our usual weekly Play & Learn
sessions (at Botley Bridges on
Fridays, 9–11.30am). Here, families
had access to our fabulous outside
area and were able to take part in
various arts and crafts activities such
as decorating biscuits and superhero
capes and creating gardens on a
plate, to name but a few.
It has been fantastic sharing your
summer, and we look forward to
seeing you very soon at one of our
future sessions. For more
information, please email
coordinator@botleybridges.org or
see our full programme on our
website www.botleybridges.org
We are now open for Play and Learn sessions at Botley School on
Mondays from 1.15–3.15 and Fridays 9.00–11.00. Our baby play and
learn sessions are on Fridays from 1.15–3.00. All are welcome. A big
thankyou to the Sprout for giving us £200 towards the equipment and
staffing of the sessions.
Hayley Hayle and Sue Dowe
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What happened to the apples?
It was a good year for apples in the community orchard. Masses of them,
weighing down the trees. Not ripe yet, mind you, at the beginning of
September, just very rosy after all that sun. So what happened to them
all? One day they were there, loading the trees. The next they were gone!
Well, they are there for the community, aren’t they? Yes, they are. But
surely they are to be shared, not stripped! And wouldn’t it be better to wait
till they are ripe?
Botley Apple Day is coming up on Sunday afternoon 7th October, in
the community orchard, but the cupboard will be bare. So be sure to bring
lots, to juice and to share (don’t forget juice containers) and let’s hope the
sun shines! AgM
Literary Botley (Part 3): Yarnells Hill
Thank you to all you literary sleuths who continue to tell me about literary
people in the Botley area. Sir William Ogden Hart (1903–1977) may
have lived in Yarnells Hill, or possibly in Sweetman’s Road. The address
of this Wadham College tutor in a 1940s directory was given as
Sweetman’s Close, Yarnells Hill. Does anyone know where he lived?
What is certain is that he worked with his father Sir William Edward Hart
on the 1934 and subsequent updates of Introduction to the Law of Local
Government and Administration. He was only briefly at Wadham, as he
went on to manage the development of a then New Town called Hemel
Hempstead in Hertfordshire. The National Portrait Gallery has an official
portrait photograph of him!
Honorary Dame Anna Morpurgo Davies (1937–2014), a renowned
philologist (i.e. an expert on the historical growth and adaptation of
languages, especially in written literature) lived at 22 Yarnells Hill
although she originated from Milan. She had several books published
during her years at Oxford including Mycenaeae Graecitatis Lexicon
(1963), Hittite Hieroglyphs and Luwian: New Evidence for the Connection
(1973) and Language Classification in the Nineteenth Century (1975).
Her third and final volume of A Companion to Linear B. Mycenaean Greek
Texts and their World was published in 2014.
Anna’s neighbours, who still live on the hill, Uwe Ackermann and
Catherine Elwes also have quite a few books to their names. Retired
physiologist Uwe has had three books published inc. some Chinese
editions: Essentials of Physiology (1992), Ace the Boards: Physiology
(1996) and
Physiology (2005).
Uwe is also well
known for his
photography skills
which have been
exhibited in places
like the John
Radcliffe Hospital.
[and also in the
Sprout! Here’s an
example, from his
ongoing record of
the piecemeal demolition of familiar landmarks. Ed].
Catherine is an artist, critic and curator who works mostly in artists' film
and video and has been doing so since the 1980s. Her 2005 book Video
Art – A Guided Tour looks at its history going back to the 1960s and the
way technology has changed since then. She has also written Video
Loupe (2000) and Installation and the Moving Image (2015).
Other Yarnells Hill academics include Sir Brian Harrison, Stephen
Parkinson and Brian Livesley. Sir Brian Harrison was Professor of
Modern History at Oxford (1996–2004) – his first book in 1971 was Drink
and the Victorians: The Temperance Question in England 1815–1872.
Stephen Parkinson, a former Associate Professor in Portuguese
Language and Linguistics, has published extensively including his co-
written Companion to Portuguese Literature. In one book he contributes
a section intriguingly entitled, How to Eat a Spider: Alfonso X’s Cantiga
225. Brian Livesley, expert in the care of the elderly, has written some
thought-provoking books on this subject including The Dying Keats: A
Case for Euthanasia? (2009).
Yarnells Hill is packed with literary greats, but I’m afraid you’ll have to wait
for another edition of the Sprout to hear about the Browning family (no
relation to Victorian poet Robert Browning). You can email me on
martin.harris321@gmail.com if you’d like to add to the list.
Martin Harris
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Randoms
News from Botley WI
Our next meeting will be on 2nd October, when the speaker, Simon
Jones, will talk to us about ”Collectors’ Clues’. The October WI Walk will
be on 17th October, meet 10:00. Book group will be the same night and
Craft night is on 16th October at the WI Hall in North Hinksey Lane. Do
feel welcome to come and join us!
Alison Jenner
Hallowe’en @ Branches Café
There will be Hallowe’en Celebrations @Branches Café on Wed
31st October after school, 3pm-5pm. Get your Ghoulish make-up done,
and create terrifying eats like Witches Fingers and peppermint Eyeballs!
(Free entry).Hallowe’en Party on Thursday 1st November from 7pm-9pm
(£1 entry). Come in your Hallowe’en outfit for a Spooky Night of
Frightening Fun.
District Update from Cllr Emily Smith
As ever, Debby Hallett and I have been
busy representing local residents at the
District Council. Here is a flavour of what we
have been up to.
Vale Local Plan Part 2: Debby and I have
been taking part in the 3-week Planning
Inspectors’ Examination of LPP2 which
aims to identify sites for 2200 additional
homes to help meet Oxford City’s shortfall
and to set new development management
policies that developers must adhere to.
We spoke about a huge range of problems
with the Part 2 plan, including the lack of
provision for homes local people can afford, revised housing need
projections and the gaps in transport infrastructure. We argued the plan
should not be approved and it seems the inspector agrees. He closed the
hearing saying; “There may be some further work needed to make the
plan sound." He will write to the Vale detailing the required next steps…
but he wouldn’t commit to a deadline for this letter.
Vale Spending on Leisure: At the last Vale council meeting Debby
asked how much the Vale’s leisure team spend on Botley and the
surrounding villages, compared with other parts of the Vale. The answer
was shocking! In the past 5 years Wantage got £905k, Faringdon got
£186k, Abingdon got £4.5m and Botley got £0. Looking at planned spend
for the next 5 years, Wantage will get £1.9m, Faringdon £1.5m, Abingdon
£1.5m, yet the amount committed to be spent our area is £0. When asked
how this could be fair, the Cabinet member did not provide an answer. In
this context, North Hinksey Parish Council’s request for £1.2m for the
rejuvenation of Louie Memorial Playing fields and Pavilion seems highly
reasonable and we will continue to make this case.
Civil Parking Enforcement: My motion to work towards the Vale’s
employing traffic wardens to enforce dangerous and illegal parking
passed. A business case is being worked up and I hope that it will result
in a self-funding scheme that will make the council responsible for parking
enforcement, rather than our over-stretched police.
West Way Development: Parking at West Way is no longer the
responsibility of the Vale so we have limited power to make changes, but
Debby and I are both in regular contact with the developers and the Vale
officer to resolve issues with parking, pedestrian access, etc. as they
arise. The builders’ newsletters and contact details can be found at
www.westwayconsultation.co.uk/construction-updates
Tilbury Fields: Those of you who attended the residents’ meeting in
August will be all too aware of the appalling state of the drainage, roads
and public spaces on the Tilbury Fields development. I am liaising with
the Vale planning enforcement team and County Cllr Judy Roberts to
ensure we maintain a united front to get Persimmon to finish the
development to an acceptable standard. Debby and I will work closely
with the Residents’ Association currently being formed to hold
Persimmon to account. The experiences of residents here have
highlighted a number of issues around the lack of consumer protection
for owners of new-build homes which need to be addressed nationally,
so I am also bringing Layla Moran MP on board to assist.
Oxford to Cambridge Expressway: We are expecting a visit from the
Transport Minister to Botley ‘between now and Christmas’.
Community Grants Available: Applications for the Vale’s community
grants are open until 22nd October. Recent beneficiaries include North
Hinksey Pre-School, Botley Bridges and Branches. To apply for a grant
groups can visit www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/grants for the forms and
additional information. We are happy to help groups from our ward with
applications if needed. In addition, Debby’s motion to introduce a Charity
Lottery to increase funds available to community groups was voted
through council in July so there may be some new funds available soon.
Keeping in Touch: Local district councillor surgeries will be held on the
following dates. Do come along to meet us and to raise any district-
related concerns:
Mon 17th Sept, 1–3pm, Wyevale Garden Centre Café, Southern-by-Pass
Sat 29th Sept, 10am–12pm, The Fishes, North Hinksey Village
Wed 17th Oct, 10am - 12pm, Branches Café, 1st floor of Elms Court,
West Way
And of course, you can get in touch with us anytime via Facebook, email
or phone: Cllr Emily Smith emily.smith@whitehorsedc.gov.uk or on
07986 877 933 & Cllr Debby Hallett debby.hallett@whitehorsedc.gov.uk
01865 240031. And access our monthly reports to parishes, Debby’s
email bulletins and more at: www.cllrdebbyhallett.com
Best wishes, Cllr Emily Smith
Brownies Under the Greenwood Tree
The majority of the Unit attended our “Robin Hood” themed Brownie
Holiday held in a Girlguiding house in a magical forest location in
Gloucestershire, right at the end of the school holidays. After everyone
had settled in and we had had our first meal we played the traditional first
night evening wide game, but with a twist. This time, after finding all the
hidden clues in the twilight, the teams had to use them to solve a logic
puzzle to work out what had become of some of the Sheriff of
Nottingham’s lost treasure. A wonderful campfire, complete with songs,
summores and dampers, finished our outside activities and then it was
time for bed with a story read by Snowy Owl.
The following morning after a good breakfast
(which included warm mini baguette-shaped
breads made by Little Owl and shaped and baked
by Mr Tawny) we made hats in the style of Maid
Marion and Robin Hood and arrow-fletched
pencils as a memento of the holiday. A hilarious
grape game followed and then it was time for our
medieval banquet. Everyone had to wear one of
their hats to be admitted to eat. The girls were
shocked to find out that, to add to the experience,
they would have to manage with just a soup spoon
for the entire meal.
After the chores were completed the
girls then had a go at archery, run
very proficiently by Little Owl and
Owlet, and there were some fabulous
scores. Feeling rather pleased with
themselves the girls then went off to
make up one Robin Hood themed
play per group, to be performed later
that evening to us all.
After another healthy meal and plenty
of clean plates and bowls it was time
to perform the plays – props and
costumes had been fashioned by the
groups themselves from newspapers
and Sellotape. We enjoyed the performances and then, almost before we
knew it, it was bedtime again and time for the next instalment of “Gangsta
Granny”. Luckily, Snowy just managed to get to the part where the story
starts to get exciting before they all fell asleep.
After the following morning’s enrolment for Ailla we had a wool trail
around the site and then it was lunch time. One last washing-up and
drying up session and then it was time to see which team had earnt the
most points. Throughout the weekend the girls were working towards a
Robin Hood Challenge woven badge and in groups for points on the
archery target poster. The winning team members with the highest points
would each win a prize but in the end
it was a draw between two of the three
teams and so there was a tense
playing card draw to find the eventual
winner – Team Quivers in this case.
After thanking the leaders for giving up
their free time to make the event
happen [the picture shows the
volunteer chefs dishing up] the girls
received their recently earnt woven
challenge badge, plus a surprise new
souvenir location badge. Then it was
home time and our equipment was
boxed up for another year.
Lucy Howes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hinksey and Osney Environment Group
Campaigning to modify the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme
In mid-August some residents from the network of streets of Osney and
neighbouring North Hinksey, who love our local willows and ancient flood
meadows, met in the Fishes Pub to discuss ways of getting the planners
to modify the Flood Alleviation Scheme. They decided to form Hinksey
and Osney Environment group and launch a website which carries the
following petition:
"That the Secretary of State for the Environment require the Environment
Agency to carry out a pilot scheme to dredge the watercourses in West
Oxford before giving any permission for the over-engineered Oxford Flood
Alleviation Scheme". (See www.hinkseyandosney.org)
Some local residents seem to think that the scheme has already been
approved. It has not. It is expected to come before the County Planning
Committee on December 10th, where people can make comments.
We have put up notices drawing attention to the devastation planned for
Willow Walk where all the trees marked in yellow along a third of the walk
will be destroyed. Realigning the channel could have consequences for
the Seacourt Stream. Planning Blight has already removed the Old Manor
House Riding School. The plans suggest that 4000 trees will be
destroyed through the scheme. The tree cover that shielded North
Hinksey Lane from the view of the Botley Road warehouses will go. 133
acres of greenbelt will be affected.
The Group seeks answers to the following questions:
Has this sort of scheme been successfully implemented elsewhere in
the UK and if so where?
Is a cost–benefit analysis available? If so where?
Why have Freedom of Information requests about correspondence
between local Councils and the University been blocked?
The whole area which has been successfully grazed by horses and other
large animals for centuries, maintaining its unique biodiversity, will no
longer be fit for purpose. Once the solid soil base and fences are gone,
no animals can be grazed and the cycle that has produced these unique
grasslands will be ended.
Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford City Council have obtained a £6
million Housing Infrastructure grant for the Osney Industrial Estate
redevelopment. Is the flood alleviation scheme being paid for by
taxpayers to enable Third Party Land development at Osney Industrial
Estate? If so, this was not the purpose of the Water Industry Act. Has the
scheme been designed so that Oxford University can develop flood plain
land into student housing?
Some of us have lived in the area for many years and know and feel
responsible for the environment we have cared for, better than people
working on maps and computers elsewhere. We stand for 'local control
of the local environment'. We propose:
“Why not dredge and clear the rivers and streams which have not been
dredged for 40 years, unblock the outflow from the flood plain by the old
Abingdon road and then assess whether further work is needed?”
“ Why not concentrate on spending money on improving flood measures
in the Botley Road and Osney?”
Chris Sugden
Eleanor Bolton
There have been so many rumours about ‘the Botley Bag Lady’ – ‘She
and her husband were both medics’, ‘she walked out of the house when
she found he had killed himself and never went back’, she ’had a double
first in Maths from Oxford’, etc, etc, that we thought it would be a good
idea to go to her funeral, pay our respects to a remarkable character, and
learn a few facts. It turned out that she grew up at Bloxham School, where
her father was a much-loved housemaster; was very clever and bright as
a child; got a Maths degree from Royal Holloway College; and was
always concerned about a life of such privilege when others had so little.
Her personal life remains private, but none of the above rumours seems
to be true. People remember her on the Botley Road from the Eighties.
The tribute below comes from someone who knew her better than most:
Mary Squires, who worked at the Luther Street Clinic which cares for
homeless people. A doctor from the same clinic, Kate Short, sang
Schubert’s ‘Ave Maria’ with touching sweetness at a funeral that was
calmer and more upbeat than most, and her ashes were buried in her
parents’ grave in Bloxham churchyard. Editor.
Eleanor was a very private person, yet
she lived in the midst of the busy city of
Oxford and through her regular walking
along the Botley road, of sitting reading
of newspapers at bus stops along the
way and daily picking through bits of
rubbish, collecting bits of discarded
paper, plastic lids and bottles, stuffing
them in bags, she also became part of
many people’s routine. They knew her
as the Botley Bag Lady. Some never
spoke to her – in a rush for work – some
would nod a greeting, others stopped for a regular chat: she was noticed,
seen, people cared and wondered, and now she is missed.
I met her in back in 2001. It took at least a year to build up any rapport
with Eleanor. I saw how she lived and wanted to “help” her. I wanted her
to have. I wanted to give food to her, I wanted clothes for her, a house for
her. I saw a petite, slightly stooped, older lady looking uncared for – and
I cared. But she would politely and steadfastly refuse anything –
everything – offered.
So I would leave things for her secretly, hoping she might take them if
she found them in a bin. I thought she was being ignored. Why hasn’t
anything being done before? Why isn’t she being helped? Eleanor helped
me grow. Eleanor taught me what humble really means. She lived this
way because she believed it was the right way for her to live. She didn’t
push it on anyone else. She never told me my need was excessive, that
I took too much. She didn’t judge me or anyone else, she just quietly went
about living her chosen way of life.
I realised eventually my acts of kindness were ignoring what she was
saying to me, that this was a barrier – by asking her to have something, I
wasn’t listening.
I stopped asking, we worked well, she talked. I began to understand, and
I grew to deeply respect her. I would go and see her all weathers, but
particularly in the very bitter winter. I struggled not to give and we began
to compromise: a warmed egg from my chickens, a blanket I wrapped
around her. I’d be scarved and booted, navigating the winter wonderland
around her home – a tumbled down metal shack. She would be found
surrounded by bags of bits of bags and bottles and tops and papers –
many papers. I would check her for signs of hypothermia; I would feel
her hands – she would be warm and I would be cold, and she would laugh
at me coming out to check her when I was colder. The rain was the worst:
she would get horribly wet and there was flooding, and she would move
to a safer place when prompted. But she wasn’t ill – I never saw her with
a cold.
She would have birds frequently around her. There was a swan in the
little stream that ran nearby, robins, sparrows and thrushes. She knew
them all and they would come in and peck crumbs and sing – they had a
similar life style really.
There is a sadness about her death, but let there be also a joy and
celebration that this lady touched so many just by living the way she
believed she should, that she achieved that much. Even at the end of her
life she died how she would have wanted, without fuss or intervention.
We have all wondered why she chose the life she did. She wrote an
account and gave it to me, and here it is:
This is what Eleanor wrote.
Let me explain the situation. Staying alive is not the most important. What
is important is to be as far as possible doing your best and what you can.
Christianity has always been important to me. I think it matters to get to
places outside the mainstream.
I started when I was a student. I had no problems academically, but I
don’t have a lot of energy physically and am not very good in close
contact. My mind wanders. I don’t stay on the right wavelength well. I
think the best teachers and communicators are those who connect well
with their pupils or hearers. If you are not particularly good there, I’m not
sure it’s a good thing to fill the gap just by talk, talk, talk.
I had a lot of help in my early 20s when I was in difficulties. That is why I
don’t feel able to accept more now. If I accepted help, I would not feel I
could ask for attention to go to where I think it should be, the area I
committed myself to; then I would be left with nothing to do or aim at.
If you are not able to go and be yourself, you can at least do what you
can to facilitate, so others may be able to act. People with families would
not want to take what they think could be going to their children or
grandchildren. I don’t have family, but I do have commitments.
As I said, I had a lot of help earlier in life, also in hospital as a child and
help at other times, and other advantages, free University education.
I should not want to be taking what I see as more than my share, or what
can’t be afforded. Overspending causes problems and tension for
everyone. There can be envy in other parts of the world, where people
don’t have the advantages, and that can lead to trouble and conflict. I do
not want to be causing that, it would be on my conscience for ever
afterwards.
I think there has to be balance between what you are taking and what
you are doing. If you come to the end of what you can be doing, you need
to be allowed to accept your situation, trust in God. The big fear is of
getting into a situation where you could be just costing money that could
be going elsewhere, and not doing anything.
Signed, Eleanor Bolton
Managing to keep to principles that require an extreme level of hardship
and endurance as a way of life, with the determination to be true to
yourself in a world where there is a constant push to keep within
parameters of expectation is a real achievement, and Eleanor did just
that. She achieved what she lived to do, and we should celebrate that
and carry that with us as we go on with our lives.
Mary Squires, former health worker at Luther Street Clinic
(Photo courtesy of Mike Wiggins)
Crumbs of comfort (2)
I have especially mourned the loss of two lovely trees from our shopping
centre. Where the new entrance is, at the town end of Elms Parade, there
stood a handsome lime tree. It must have been planted in the Seventies
when Dutch Elm disease did for the elm trees of Elms Parade, so it was
in its prime: tall and
straight and on the
way to matching the
trees that make Botley
Road smell so sweet
in late June when the
flowers and bees are
at the top of their
game. Gone now,
though.
The other one was the
copper beech outside
the Baptist Chapel. It
dated from when the
chapel was new in the Sixties, and was just coming into silky leaf when it
went under the axe. The photo reminds me of what we have lost. It was
a while before I could bear to go past the empty space, and I am taking
what comfort I can from the news that some of the wood will be made into
a cross for the new Baptist Church in the finished shopping centre.
Yes, I know that the new mall is going to be decorated with the kind of
tree that can be transported in a lorry and installed there, but I’ve seen
them before and they are not in the same league as trees that have stood
for fifty years. Still they are better than none, I suppose. There’s some
comfort in that! AgM
Meet… Debby Hallett
Debby Hallett is a politician, is into human
development, and is (now) British. I found out
about these things in an interview that needs
several entire Sprouts to do it justice, but I’ll do
my best to summarise.
Debby has been Leader of the Vale of White
Horse Liberal Democrats for the last intense
three years. She has just stepped down and is
now Deputy Leader, mentoring the new Leader,
Emily Smith. What have been her greatest
accomplishments? “Well, if I can secure funding
for the new facilities at Louie Memorial field, that
would probably be it.”
What about getting the first proposal for West Way rejected? And getting
Layla Moran elected? And saving all those Green Belt sites that Vale of
White Horse District Council had put into the Local Plan as development
sites? “Those too. But I do none of these things alone; it’s all dependent
upon many people working together toward a common goal. Right now
I’m also working against the Oxford-Cambridge Expressway which will
either widen the A34 through Botley or go through the Green Belt.”
How does Debby manage to be an effective politician when she is, by her
own admission, very, very introverted?
“Being introverted means I spend a lot of time processing things
internally, alone. I’m an ideas person. In order to get things done in the
real world, the main thing is to influence the decision-makers. Politicians
who aren’t in power get things done by influencing others. I find out how
the decision-makers think, how they make meaning of their experiences,
and work from that basis. I don’t enjoy big meetings, or the cut and thrust
of politics. Instead I get to know people; I have a lot of one-to-one
meetings.”
The public side of Debby is politics. The inner side of Debby is her interest
in adult consciousness development, which was the focus of her post-
graduate education.
Debby came to Oxford and married David in 1997, became a citizen in
2001, and in 2017 renounced her US citizenship, mostly as a result of the
unfair way the US taxes its citizens abroad. Her career has been in IT,
and she recently retired from Blackwell Publishing. But she is most
interested in exploring how adults make meaning out of their experiences,
and learning about how that affects their outlook on life. She is
particularly interested in the work of Ken Wilber, author of Spectrum of
Consciousness and Sex Ecology and Spirituality. Debby says, “The work
and writings of Ken Wilber have changed my life. He gave me a model of
consciousness development that works to explain the world that I
experience, in a way that no one else has.”
“There’s a clear progression in how we mature, from children where we
are the centre of our own world, to needing to fit in with the crowd, to
where we want to be valued for our uniqueness, to where we recognize
people’s different skills and approaches and want to work towards a
common goal, to where we can change our perspective. Most of the work
around personal psychological development only goes up to about 18
years old. I’m interested in what happens beyond that.”
“It’s the people who keep learning and evolving who are most interesting;
the ones who feel themselves to be an integral part of everything. When
they say ‘we’, they mean ‘we, humanity’, not ‘me and my family’ or even
‘me and my neighbourhood’. Bill
Gates, much as he is criticised, is a
good example of someone who
matured and gained wisdom as he
did it. He moved from writing
software, to forming a company
with other people with different
types of expertise, and then to
using his fortune to help cure
malaria. How amazing is that?”
I was sorry to only have an hour
with Debby, and just a few pages to
write about her. She has been a
very effective politician and was a
fascinating interviewee. Thank you
for the interview, Debby, and for all
your work on behalf of the parish
over the years.
Riki Therivel
The Church of St Peter and St Paul is 60
On 13th and 14th October the church of St. Peter and St. Paul will
celebrate its 60th anniversary with a weddings event on Saturday,
showcasing a weddings exhibition by Martin Harris, wedding dresses and
photos from the past six decades, teas, floral displays and information on
how to get married in the Church of England. On Sunday at 9.30am we
welcome Steven, Bishop of Oxford, for our anniversary service.
The church was consecrated for worship by the Bishop of Oxford, Harry
Carpenter, on 18th October 1958. It was through the vision and
dedication of successive Vicars of North Hinksey, starting around the
early part of the twentieth century that we have a church here in West
Way. In 1914 The Revd Osborne Jones, then Vicar of North Hinksey saw
how fast the hamlet of Botley was developing and obtained a piece of
land upon which, with the aid of the Diocese, a Mission Church was built.
It was known fondly as the
Tin Church and dedicated
to St. Paul. In 1914 the
population of the parish
was just 300 but it had
increased ten-fold by
1940. Botley needed a
more permanent place of
worship. ‘So, in 1941 on a
November night in war-
time black-out at a meeting
presided over by Dr Gerald Allen, Bishop of Dorchester, the Botley
Church Building Fund was opened.’ After a good deal of prayer and fund
raising, the nave and chancel of the new church were opened in 1958,
amid much rejoicing at a
cost of £21,313. Our 1957
photo (above) shows the
Tin Church looking N.E.
with the footings for the
new church in the
foreground, and the
Seacourt Bridge pub over
the road. The lower photo
shows the church as it is
now, looking South.
The Church of England still provides a Christian presence in every
community and we continue to be here to pray for everyone who lives
here, works here and passes through this parish. See our website
www.osneybenefice.org.uk for more information.
10th October is World Homelessness Day and the Gatehouse, which is
30 this year, invites guests, volunteers, staff, local services, donors and
supporters to a night of music, speakers and refreshments at the King’s
Centre, Osney Mead, Oxford, OX2 0ES from 5–8pm. Just turn up.
Sunday 4th November at 5pm A Service to Remember those we have
Loved at St. Peter and St. Paul. A memorial service for the bereaved. It
will include a prayers for Eleanor Bolton, the Botley Bag Lady
Rev Clare Sykes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LOCAL PLANNING APPLICATIONS
P18/V2012/FUL
Target Decision
Date: 2 October
The Thatched House Stanton Road.
Demolish existing house, outdoor
sheds, car port. Erect new house with
indoor pool and separate garage.
7 August
P18/V2070/FUL
TDD: 11 Oct
Minns Business Park West Way. Install
new bridge and footpath to North
Hinksey Lane.
16 August
P18/V1913/FUL
TDD: 16 Oct
184 Westminster Way. Conversion into
2 self-contained flats; a ground floor 2-
bed flat & 2-bed flat on 1st & 2nd
floors.
21 August
P18/V2264/HH
TDD:1 Nov
36 St Pauls Crescent. Rear and side
extensions to house.
6 September
P18/V2221/FUL
TDD: 7 Nov
1 Cumnor Hill. Demolish house and
erect two 3-storey buildings (one
fronting Cumnor Hill & one fronting
Conifer Close) providing 6 x 2 bed flats
(3 flats each building) + car & cycle
parking, bin stores.
12
September
University of the Third Age – West Oxford
Summer’s over and it’s time to explore some new directions! The U3A is
here for you. Its mission is to help you “Learn, Laugh and Live”. Your local
branch is the West Oxford U3A.
Our core events are the fortnightly meetings at Dean Court Community
Centre, Pinnocks Way. These are at 2.30pm on the 2nd and 4th Mondays
of every month from September to June. A guest speaker will inform and
entertain us followed by tea and a chance to socialise with the other
members. Come along to a meeting (for a modest fee) and see what is
happening. We look forward to seeing you.
Special Interest Groups exist through which you can enjoy an existing
enthusiasm or to develop a new one. They include Art History, Bridge,
Churches & Pubs, Cinema, Computer Users, Craft, Garden Club, Music
Appreciation, Languages, Scrabble and a Walking Group. Lastly, the
Thames Valley region organises a number of events each year. Recent
trips have included a Dunkirk Event and a Polar Exploration day.
Membership is currently £15.00 for the year starting on 1 September. Our
website is at www.westoxfordu3a.org.uk. For further information you can
email the Membership Secretary at
memsec@westoxfordu3a.org.uk.
Hugh Manson
October Talks:
8th October Ian Brearley The
Sounds of Music from Cylinder to
CD and Beyond
Ian Brearley has spent many years
training people to use and teach
software such as Microsoft Word
and Excel. He has also, in the past,
spent some time DJ-ing at parties
and dances. All this stems from a
childhood in which his father had a
substantial record collection and
encouraged Ian to do the same.
Whilst Ian was doing this, he
gradually became more fascinated by the equipment and its ever-
changing development as opposed to the actual music. Although this
talk will be tracing the development of how music is produced, Ian
promises that it will be non technical as he appreciates that we are not a
group of nerds!
22nd October Robert Bishop, Chairmaking in High Wycombe
Robert and Christina Bishop have lived in High Wycombe for some years.
They manage a site in the centre of the town which houses a Chair-
making museum, artists studios, art gallery and shop. They also run
workshops. Robert is a registered professional wood-turner who
specialises in turning large bowls and other hollow vessels from Burr
wood, particularly Monkey Puzzle. High Wycombe has a long and
successful history of furniture making especially chair-making which
dates back at least to the 16th century. The source of the wood was, of
course, the wonderful beechwoods which cover the Chilterns. Robert’s
talk will take us through this history with descriptions of the chair-making
process and the people involved.
Police Update
Preventive action: Over the weekend of 18th–19th August, the
Neighbourhood Team visited parts of Botley that had been targeted by
burglars in the past six months . 150 SmartWater Kits (property security
marking) were distributed to the identified areas, with a view to getting
80% of residents in any given street to register with SmartWater. This
would make them a SmartWater area, which, when advertised by a
notice, can have a very positive effect on crime reduction. The feedback
from the residents has been positive and most of the streets that were
visited will meet the 80% criteria once the kits have been registered.
Witness appeals
On 13th August around 1pm a spare wheel and a tow bar were stolen
from a vehicle on West Way, Botley. The thieves made off in a Grey
VW.
On 14th August between 8am – 9am thieves forced their way into a
transit van on West Way, and stole power tools and gardening
equipment
Overnight on August 27th, Botley Foodbank in Curtis’s Yard was
broken into, and approx. £200 was stolen
On 28th August a white moped was stolen from Eynsham Rd,
between 1 and 2pm.It was found shortly afterwards in the underpass
between Westminster Way and Southern bypass and has since been
returned to the owner.
Also, on the night of 28th August, a vehicle was broken into on
Seacourt Rd, and a Sat Nav was stolen.
If you have any information regarding these incidents please call 101.
Contacting us and reporting crimes online Did you know that you can
now get in touch with us online as well as by calling 101? Please visit
www.thamesvalley.police.uk where you can: Provide more information or
request an update on a crime report; Tell us if you recognise a face or
description from one of our witness appeals; Contact an officer or
department directly, for example our Fixed Penalty Support Unit. This
also helps you reach an officer or PCSO who may be working unsociable
hours.
You can also use the new online reporting form on our Website to report
any type of crime, traffic collisions involving an injury, a missing person
and anti-social behaviour. Just click on REPORT.
From the Abingdon Outer Neighbourhood Team Newsletter
Expressway? – No way!
In mid-September the government moved closer
to developing the Oxford–Cambridge
Expressway when they announced their chosen
‘corridor’ for the road. This failed to provide
much clarity since the corridor chosen could
entail a route south and east of Oxford to join the
A34 near Abingdon, or a route north and west of
our city. There was one positive point – it ruled
out Otmoor, Oxfordshire’s most valuable
wetland, which had been a possible route.
The ‘north and west’ route has caused much concern in and around
Botley. It could involve new roads (possibly around Wytham and Boars
Hill) but a cheaper option might be to expand and upgrade the A34. As
the tightest part of the A34 is Botley itself, this could mean demolishing
homes, and has implications for the Commonwealth War Graves.
Opposition is growing fast. Groups opposed to the Expressway on any
route have joined the No Expressway Alliance. It was launched here in
Botley on September 14th. Our councillor Emily Smith was among the
speakers and North Hinksey Parish Council members were present.
The Alliance founders believe that:
There is no need for this road, and no ‘best’ or ‘least worst’ route.
The plan would not solve Oxfordshire’s transport problems and would
generate more congestion around the city.
The new road would cause significant loss of irreplaceable nature sites
across Oxfordshire.
The increased car journeys would add to air pollution and increase
carbon emissions, undermining efforts to tackle climate change.
The Alliance wants to see transport links improved through the rapid
construction of the Oxford–Cambridge rail link. This should be built before
any road programme is developed. A central reason for building the
Expressway is to open up new land for housing along the route, but
homes for car-borne commuters in the countryside will do nothing to meet
Oxford’s desperate need for low cost homes for local people.
The Alliance welcomes as members any local group that shares its
concerns. See www.noexpresswayalliance.org for more information.
Chris Church
Organizations: If your organization is not listed here, please send details
to editor@thesprout.org.uk or telephone 724452 for inclusion.
1st Botley Brownies
Girls aged 7–10
2nd Botley Brownies
Girls aged 7–10
4th Oxford Scout Group
Beavers, Cub Scouts, Scouts
15th Oxford Scout Group
Boys and girls welcome
Baby & Toddler Group
Badminton Club
Books on Wheels R.V.S.
Botley Boys & Girls F.C.
Football teams from ages 8-16
Botley Health Walks
Botley Library
Botley Singers
Branches Café, Seacourt
Hall, Open to All 8am-3pm,
Community Fridge
Cumnor Choral Society
Cumnor Chess Club
Cumnor & District Historical
Society
Cumnor Gardening Club
Harmony InSpires, Ladies'
Acappella Singing Group
Hill End Volunteer Team
Let’s Sing! – singing group
Morris Dancing – Cry Havoc
Mum and Baby Yoga for
babies from 6 wks to crawling
North Hinksey Preschool
and Childcare Clubs
N Hinksey Art Group
N Hinksey Bellringers
N Hinksey Conservation
Volunteers
N Hinksey, Friends of
N Hinksey Horticultural Soc
N Hinksey Parish Council
N Hinksey Youth Club
Over Sixties Lunch Club
Oxford Flood Alliance
Oxford Flower Arranging Club
Oxford Otters
Oxford Rugby Club
Oxford Sports Lawn Tennis
Club, N Hinksey
Parkinson’s Disease Soc
Raleigh Park, Friends of
West Way Day Centre
Saturdads
Botley Bridges
Seacourt Hall management
committee
Shotokan Karate club
Weight Watchers
West Oxford Bowls Club
West Oxford Taekwon Do
Club
West Oxford U3A
Women’s Institute (Botley)